Recent data from NEPRA, covering January 24 to March 24, shows that capacity payments to 40 families owning various IPPs totalled Rs 150 billion per month, with more than half of these plants operating below 10 per cent capacity.

Astonishingly, four plants are receiving Rs 10 billion every month without supplying any power. This blatant exploitation underscores the extent of financial haemorrhaging inflicted on the economy, draining resources that could be better allocated to public welfare and development projects.

The grip of elite capture on state resources and institutions is tightening, leaving the majority of the population grappling with indignity and deprivation. This phenomenon, where a small segment of society monopolizes economic, political, and social resources, has profound implications for human dignity. The consequences of this imbalance are evident in the widening gulf between the privileged few and the suffering masses, leading to a crisis of governance, economic instability, and social fragmentation.

One of the most evident consequences of elite capture in Pakistan is the gross misallocation of state resources. A significant portion of the national budget, estimated to be around 2,200 billion rupees annually, is spent on pensions, perks, and foreign trips for a privileged class of retired and serving officers, politicians, and other high-ranking officials.

Elite capture in Pakistan is strangling human dignity through economic, political, and social monopolization.

This excessive expenditure starkly contrasts with the limited public........

© Daily Times